It has long been known that steam is extremely effective in removing wrinkles from articles of wearing apparel. There have long been available large and cumbersome devices for generating and spraying steam which are typically designed for dry cleaning stores and the like. However, there has been a significant need for smaller, less cumbersome and less expensive devices for lighter and occasional use. For example, retail clothing stores today receive most of their merchandise folded in cartons rather than hanging on racks. In order to make the merchandise available and presentable, it is necessary to either allow the merchandise to hang for a considerable length of time or, alternatively, to use steam to quickly remove wrinkles. If steam can be made available readily and inexpensively, it is obviously preferable to use it in order to make the goods available more quickly.
There are other areas in which there is a substantial need for a smaller and portable steamer. For example, such a device can be used by installers of curtains and draperies to remove wrinkles after the items are mounted. Since curtains and draperies are typically hung in homes and offices, heavy duty industrial type steaming devices are not readily available and there is a need for a portable unit. Similarly, window trimmers and particularly those who service smaller stores which themselves cannot afford any type of steaming apparatus have a need for a portable steam unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,529 of June 1, 1971 in the name of Bernard A. Mitchell discloses one prior art steaming unit. It includes a base, a flexible hose leading to a spray nozzle, and a pole for supporting the hose in a substantially upright position. Such an arrangement is desirable for two reasons. First, having the nozzle supported at an elevated position makes it easier for the user to pick up and put down the nozzle as desired. Additionally, it has been found that problems develop when a hose in a steaming unit is allowed to lay horizontally in that water could be emitted from the nozzle, thus causing spotting of material. By suspending the spray nozzle at an elevated location, any water which might condense within the hose will tend to fall back into the steam generating area within the base.
The upstanding pole in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,529 is formed from several segments, which allows the otherwise cumbersome pole to be broken down into more manageable sizes. However, the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,529 does not provide any means for storing the pole segments when the unit is not in use; nor does it disclose any means for storing the flexible hose. Additionally, the entire unit is not particularly portable and there does not appear to be any particularly handy way to transport the item or any of its components.
Other products, such as a steamer sold under the trademark Jiffy by the Jiffy Steamer Company of Union City, Tennessee, provide a base for generating the steam which has wheels and thus renders the base itself portable. However, there is no provision for storing and transporting the entire unit so that all the components must be carried separately.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a steaming apparatus which is portable and compact.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a steaming apparatus which includes a flexible hose and which provides a means for storing the flexible hose with the remainder of the unit.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a steaming apparatus which provides an upstanding pole for supporting the flexible hose wherein the upstanding pole can be stored with the remainder of the components in a compact fashion.
Various other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in conjunction with the claims appended hereto.